MBDA details MM 40 Block 3 orders

Richard Scott, London - IHS Jane's Navy International
12 October 2014


The MM 40 Block 3 Exocet is in volume production at MBDA's Selles Saint-Denis plant. Source: MBDA
European missile house MBDA has revealed that it has now secured orders for approximately 400 MM 40 Block 3 Exocet anti-ship missiles and more than 50 firing installations from nine customers worldwide.

The latest instantiation of the Exocet sea-skimming anti-ship missile line, the MM 40 Block 3 embodies significant performance and technology improvements, including air-breathing propulsion, a GPS-based navigation and guidance package, and a new launch and mission planning infrastructure. As well as more than doubling range, and offering greater flexibility in terms of attack profiles, the Block 3 variant also introduces an expanded capability to strike at coastal targets.

Block 3 is differentiated from previous Exocet generations by the adoption of a Microturbo TR-40/263 turbojet (replacing the solid-rocket sustainer used hitherto) to increase range to about 200 km. A new launch booster rocket motor (manufactured by NAMMO) is also introduced.

The MM 40 Block 2's existing 160 kg high-explosive warhead and Super ADAC J-band active radar seeker are retained, but a new weapon computer and internal 1553-bus architecture are added. The Block 3 navigation package incorporates a new laser gyro inertial measurement unit and GPS/Galileo, enabling the missile to fly complex three-dimensional approach trajectories incorporating more than 10 waypoints. Time-of-flight management additionally allows for salvo compression on the target.

According to MBDA, GPS updates improve positional accuracy in order to close down the target acquisition bracket in the search phase and provide a capability to hit fixed targets. A new open architecture ITL B3 weapon control system is also being introduced.

MBDA was in January 2004 awarded a EUR200 million (USD255 million) contract by the Direction Générale de l'Armement for the full scale development of Block 3. As well as the French Navy, other customers comprise Brunei, Greece, Morocco, Oman, Peru, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Additionally, Egypt is to fit Block 3 on the four new Gowind 2500 corvettes recently ordered from French shipbuilder DCNS.

MM 40 Block 3 is also believed to be a front-runner for Malaysia's Second Generation Patrol Vessel - Littoral Combat Ship programme. However, MBDA told IHS Jane's that no formal decision had been taken.

MBDA has also disclosed that three Gulf Cooperation Council navies conducted a joint Exocet high seas firing in March this year, which included the first operational firings of MM 40 Block 3 for the navies involved. Five ships and one helicopter from the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces, the Royal Navy of Oman, and the UAE Naval Forces, deployed in the Indian Ocean off the Oman, coast fired a total of eight weapons - a mix of air-launched AM 39s and ship-launched MM 40s.

IHS Janes